This Series Captures the Graves of Georgian Mafiosos

On a recent trip to Kutaisi, Georgia, Stroitelev began taking shots of lavish and marble-decorated resting places for some of the country's criminal circles. Kutaisi was the perfect place for these mafia heads according to the photographer, who says it was "the motherland of Georgian thieves in law."

The eccentric and expensive-looking, flamboyantly embellished graves show how these Mafiosos are respected and honored by the people who they acted like (illegal) benefactors for.

Stroitelev decided to capture the bizarre headstones after he came across a portrait of a man holding a cigarette with a hue star set in front of it. "Everyone in Russia knows that the star means someone was incredibly influential in the criminal world," says Stroitelev about the grave photography series.